Open Space

We prize the Charles River and Riverside, Cambridge Common, Danehy Park, and Fresh Pond.

However, the unfortunate reality is that green space, tree shade, and open skies are in short supply in many areas of Cambridge.

The large scale buildings in Kendall Square tend to block off the sky, keep streets in shadow, and create the "wind-tunnel effect." Proposals by Forest City, Boston Properties and other real estate developers share these defects. Particularly outrageous was a recent proposal by Forest City to build a 145 foot tower in the park next to the firehouse in Lafayette Square. This building dwarfed the Firehouse and its elegant tower and was completely out-of-scale with the adjoining Jill Brown-Rhone Park.

Additionally troubling is the apparent desire of the Community Development Department (CDD) to have our public parking lots included in private developers’ projects. Aside from listing these public properties as available for development, the CDD gives no importance to the resulting loss of open space, singular sky views or tree-lined vistas the lots now provide. Nor does the CDD give any mention or importance to the two panoramic murals we would lose that now give artistic vitality to our Central Square neighborhoods.